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17 Nov

Bond Begins

Like Batman being remade from zero, so too is 007, and thankfully so. Brosnan may well be my favorite non-Connery Bond but his snarky Remington Steele style no longer fit’s these times of economic recessions and salient global threats - as opposed to diamond smuggling, nuclear Russian satellites and Grace Jones sex. An old franchise can only benefit from a fresh perspective and while Casino Royale brought that to Bond’s franchise, Quantum of Solace is nice continuation on this learning how to be an international badass amidst a Truly messed up world. It’s time for a fresh start.

Ironically, the beginning credits sequence of QS was my least favorite in a long time. “Another way to Die” was sung by Alicia Keys - whose voice doesn’t sound right singing rock - and Jack White whom to many can’t really sing despite being a good writer. Yet, White’s title and lyrics don’t really seem to go with the movies themes that much. Another way to die: shot, stabbed, drowned in oil, or making out with a giant dude with metal teeth; confirmed, there are a lot of ways to die in a Bond flick - the fuck else is new?

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Chris Cornell’s “You know my Name” was perfect for Casino Royale - describing and animating the world of kill or be killed a new double 0 agent runs and guns through like a house of cards while killing poorly detailed goons along the way. My favorite of all the credit sequences being Cheryl Crow’s “Tomorrow never Dies”, which I’ll pop in the DVD just to hear and repeat several times. Still, points to Quantum’s opening for brining back the tastefully shadowed naked chicks.

Some have found the new Daniel Craig Jimmy B a bit too moody and perhaps even feminized. They may have a point since the super macho philanderous smirking killer Bond of the past being made into a determined man that’s still able to feel the job’s cost in terms of his own humanity is indeed feminine by comparison - the way a Walther PPK is girly compared to a Smith and Wessun 500. Notice though that the PPK will still kill you. It‘s not like James is keeping a tear-stained journal of his grievous sins and calling back the exotic chicks he shakes and stirs. Actually, he‘s more into the serious relationship - until the chick betrays your love for a world class asshole then dies from her own plotting and you‘ve got to make a second movie to come to terms with it (see Casino Royale).

Ok, he’s not keeping a diary, but his martini’s are being diluted with British tears - just don’t show me, please. He’s still learning how to seduce innocent women and inadvertently get them killed for the love of his big seven (one down so far in Solace).

The vicariously entertaining playboy of yester year is mostly gone. Bond is simply more realistic now, less dashing and more out cold. Villains are not inexplicably rich crackpots with crazy super devices of world destruction/domination. They’re businessmen taking advantage of culturally relevant catch phrases to seize power globally under the guise of helping the planet. I haven’t seen a fancy gadget in two movies now, and nor do I really miss them since we are in the Jack Bauer high skill needs little hardware paradigm of foreign policy. If Roger Moore would be tasked with hunting down Bin Lade, Craig’s Bond would be going after the head of Haliburton and maybe even a certain villainous Vice President of a former British colony - and I’m not talking about former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada A. Anne McLellan either, I said former colony.

Despite all this post-modernization, we still have enough good old-fashioned action in the Quantum of Solace. I think there’s a chase scene involving every mode of travel except skateboard and Chocobo - there was this Emu ranch scene … nah, I wish. The fight choreography was directed with the Jason Bourne style of Rapid fu and scenery was well implemented in the tension of the scenes. Fights on narrow Italian mountain roads, boat chases through high traffic ports, scaffolding duels - moody or not this is the most athletic stunt saturated Bond we’ve seen in a while. Also, like any great action movie the talky dialogue parts are sharp with enough gravitas to give weight to the central conflicts, therefore raising the stakes for the action.

See Quantum of Solace even if you have to trek across a desert to view it in a burning hotel.

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Everything, with these Tags: , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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4 Responses to “Bond Begins”

  1. 1
    Noble Bear Says:

    Well written as always. :D

    I tend view Craig as more masculine, not less. The difference to me is that all “classic” Bonds have made priority of affecting elegance and style in the manner of GQ man-whores everywhere, whereas Craig is hardened, weatherbeaten and intense causing even the times he wears a tux to seem less an affectation and more a temporary vestment, much the way he seems to regard everything else in his life. Though with Vesper we have seen that this is out of necessity rather than preference. The aggressive pragmatism he practices gives Craig greater apparent testosterone levels in my estimation.

    His improvisational skills reminds me of why I enjoyed MacGuyver so much. The notion of loading Bond down with gadgets while it had its place, seemed to create a checklist the plot was restricted to fill “well, he hasn’t used the laser watch yet, we’ll need to write something for that…” this way, we get a Bond that is much more resourceful and faster on his feet which seems to heighten pacing.

    I like how the last two films have played with convention, namely with Bond’s drink of choice.
    “Does it look like I care?”
    “What was I drinking?”

    Felix, Bond’s “brother from Langley” has for the first time, become an interesting and developed individual.

    If I understand you correctly, then I have to disagree with you about the action, not with how the sequences were choreographed, but with how they were shot. While not as nausea inducing as Borne, it left me feeling just as cheated as closeups and motion blurs made a strong effort not to show me the anything. The difference between Casino and Quantum is not unlike the difference between action in Blade 1 and Blade 2. Craig, like snipes kicks ass on screen — let me see it!

    November 18th, 2008 at 8:36 am
  2. 2
    Da Dominus Says:

    Yeah the Rapid Fu is the Gladiator style of frenetic shakey action whereas the slower motion emphasis on moves as in say 300 is termed Pose Fu by da Dominion. They are opposites on the range of action pacing.

    I prefer the more illustrative Pose fu myself, but either can be handled well. Rapid fu fit better with the mood of QS, and was implemented well though I don’t prefer the style.

    November 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
  3. 3
    Rib Says:

    I truly wish I paid atttention to anything as closely as you guys pay attention to everything. I will say this though: First, the theme song was unpleasant. I dug Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day. Madonna was Madonna and I could get into her interpretation of what a Bond theme should sound like. But this new song seemed arbitrary, thrown together. It was disjointed and never meshed, not even on the hook. In fact, I thought the verses sounded considerably better than the chorus. Shame on whoever thought it was a good idea to put Alicia Keys on this one (and I love me some Alicia Keys). What a horrific display.

    Second, I’ve changed my mind about not liking Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. When I think of 007, the first thing that comes to mind is the potential he has to beat the heck outta somebody. That’s what I want an international badass to do - kick somebody’s butt. With Brosnan, that wasn’t the case. My gut reaction was always that James Bond has cool toys, he’s handsome, and that he probably spends too much of his down time coming up with witty shit to say. Ass-kicking seemed to be secondary, even happenstance. That’s not hot. International intelligence dudes should be judged by how much ass they can kick, not how much they get. I love this new Bond with his slight little body and weird face and propensity toward getting dirty and nasty-lookin’. I like the Bond who empties out his homeboy’s wallet then tosses him in the trash. This is a good start.

    November 20th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
  4. 4
    Hunin Says:

    I’ve seen the flick twice now, and I had two wildly different experiences with it. First time, at the Emagine, was a slambang adventure superfest. Second time, at the Ford-Wyoming (yes, we were actually watching the movie), was kinda dull. Mrs. H liked it, but she did have the “should have seen this in the theatre” feeling.

    November 25th, 2008 at 10:32 pm

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